Howard County police and federal agents are looking for evidence at the gun shop where 19-year-old Columbia Mall shooter Darion Aguilar legally purchased the weapon he used to kill two people on Saturday.

Authorities said Aguilar bought a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun that's capable of being broken down into small pieces that would be easy to carry in a backpack.

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The United Gun Shop in Rockville said there were no red flags with Aguilar. A salesman told 11 News the teen was courteous and that he had said he wanted to protect his home, where he lived with his mother.

Police said Aguilar is responsible for walking into the Columbia Mall on Saturday and shooting and killing 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson. So far, authorities have made no connection between the victims and the shooter, and they're still looking for a motive.

The tragedy has gun control advocates praising Maryland's new gun legislation, which made assault-style weapons illegal. Gun-control groups said without the new law, Aguilar could have killed many more people if he had gotten his hands on an assault-style weapon.

But gun rights advocates said doing away with gun-free zones is the answer to preventing such incidents, not creating more bans.

"It's a lower risk for more people to be out in public with guns because that's the way we're going to be able to defend ourselves. The cops can't get there in time," said Larry Pratt of the group Gun Owners of America.

"This shows that violent acts have no boundaries," said U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland.

Federal law does require background checks for those who purchase shotguns, but lawmakers have failed to pass any gun-control measures beyond that.